Improvement in farm-gates



,f -UNrreo Sintes PATENT OFFICE.,

EZRA NICHOLSON, OF EAST ROCKPORT, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN FARM-GATES.

Specifica-tion forming part of Letters Patent No. 39,491, dated August 11, 1863; antedated v April 1e, 1863.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EzRA NioHoLsoN, of the town of Rockport, in the county of Guyahoga, State of Ohio, have invented a new andv useful improvement in the mode of hanging farmgates so 'that they may be opened or closed on approaching, the gate operating -both ways by its own gravity; and the fol lowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part ot' this specication.

Figure 1 shows a vertical sectioncut vtlirou gh the gate-posts, hinges, and mechanism for operating the gate. Fig. 2 represents a perspective view; of the gate-frame and` gate closed. .Fig-..3 is asection :of the catches.

My invention consists in the arrangement of a spring-latch operating under a horizontal hinge-lever in combination with stopp'fates and other mechanism to hold in position open and closed gates.

To enable others skilled in the art to make Aand use my improvementsin gates, 'I will describe them more fully, referring to the drawings and the letters thereon.

In order to have a farmgate operate perfectly and remain durable for many years in a climate where the'ground is subject to be disturbed by freezing, it is necessary that the posts and frame-work to which itis attached should be so secured together as toalways keep in their relative positions.

In constructing my gate I connect two timbers together at right angles, thus forming the mud-sill A and a cross sill, B, to which I frame the gate-posts C and D and secure them firmly, so that they will keep their upright position. The post C is braced to Vthe timber B by an elbow of metal b, which vforms the step or cookeye for the bottom pivot or hinge, o, of the gate E. On the top or" the post U is placed the horizontal lever a, the front'or forward end extending over a sut'- oient distance to form the cockeye or hinge, into which the top pivot, e, of the gate is titted. The upright post F of the gate-frame I make of joist. The width may be three or four times th-e thickness. The main object is to get a sufficient bearin g for the top and bottom pivots,they being considerably out of the line of perpendicular with each other-. e., the bottom pivot, o, is near the post C, and the top pivot, e, is over on the opposite edge of the upright F. This arrangement throws the gate out of its balance and assists it to open and close by its own gravity. rIhe lhorizontal lever a or cockeye has a broad Abearing, and is pivoted to the center on the4 ltop ofthe post C, and is made to move the top ofthe gate out of the line of perpendicular either to the riglit-or left by the action of `the long vertical lever d, attached near the bottom inthe rear ot' the gate-post' O, and connected by a looseY joint, f, near its center with theA hinge-lever a, which has acavity under side, in which is fitted to operate aI spring latch, t', to hold the gatein la perpen dicular position when closed. The latchi rests in a notch' in the segment h, secured on the top of. the post O, and is lifted out so as to allow the lever-hinge a to be moved either way by the action of a bell-crank, k, attached to the top ofthe upright lever d. At the ends of the mud-sill are framed upright posts H I of such height as to be convenient for use. On the top are secured movable levers m and n, connected together by a rod, o, running diagonally from the rear end otl one ofthe levers to the handle ofthe other, and there is another rod or link, p, attached to the levers m n in the saine manner and; connecting with the bell-crank 7c, so that by moving the levers in the direction in`which the gate is approachedthe spring-latcht' is raised, the gate F is thrown out ot' perpendicular, nnlatched, opens, and swings round, is secured till it is passed. Then, by moving the yother lever in the same direction thegate unflatches and closes. .The force by which the gate will swing in either opening or closing is regulated by the stop-plate q on the top of the .gate-post C, The double spring catch K, as

seen in Fig. 3, is made of metal, the stops t" s working on pivots a o between two plates, the spring a: being secured nnderneathin the center, so that both lends act on the stops and keep them up to their places at all times, when the latch y is not passing over one of them.'

I do not claim opening and closing gates by the simple action of a verticaland horizontal lever to move the gate out of a per-` peudiculzu, nor-placing the hinges put. f crank jf, andflevers-d and @ope-rating subline; Bordo I claim the double.;Springcatch stautially'iu the manne'ras andfqxzithe purfur mtching; but poses herein set forth.

Nba-t I do Claim' as my inventlon and dsire to secure by Letters Patent, is. -EZRA NICHQLSON. The arrangemmvlt ofv the spring-latch i ung "Witnesses: vder the hngelevr a, in combiz-laton with the F. B. PRATT, notched segment baud stop-plat-g, the bfel- ELI BRUCE. v

K l v n. 

